


Found in a Forest

by ZTNBooks



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Lance (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Injured Lance (Voltron), M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Keith (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:55:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25637653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZTNBooks/pseuds/ZTNBooks
Summary: Lance left the Garrison after his injury years ago. He expected to spend the rest of his life in isolated tranquility. But Keith's sudden appearance changes all of that. Lance offers him a place to stay and all seems right with the world. In fact, things are better now that Keith's here. At least until Keith's heat hits.Lance didn't realize just how much he'd be affected by Keith's heat. And after it passes, things change between the two of them. There's a tension that wasn't there before. Lance is left with a choice; continue on like nothing happened or face the feelings he has towards Keith.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 226





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Click here](https://linktr.ee/ZTNBooks) to view my Instagram, Twitter, join my Discord server, or even commission me!

Lance wasn’t expecting to find anyone out in the woods, especially not this far from the Garrison. But the crude tent and fire pit were man-made, no doubt about it.

Lance crouched down behind a tree, listening for any movement. He hoped he hadn’t been spotted yet. He stayed silent, but he didn’t hear anything. He didn’t smell anything either. Aside from smoke and wet leaves, that is. Steam was still rising from the fire pit, meaning it must have just been put out by the morning rain. 

Lance heard a sudden noise behind him and his nose was flooded with the smell of another person. Before he could turn, there was a knife at his throat. He could feel the stranger’s breath hot on his neck.

“Who are you? Did the Garrison send you?” The stranger’s voice was razor-sharp in anger. His breath tickled the back of Lance’s neck and Lance tried to wiggle away from it. “Answer me!”

Lance swallowed, stilling his movements as the blade pressed closer. “My name is Lance. I’m not with the Garrison, I swear.”

The cold metal of the knife kissed Lance’s skin as the stranger tightened his hold. “Why should I believe you?”

“Check- Check my back.”

The stranger paused, confusion evident in his voice. “What?”

“Check my back. It’ll prove I’m not with the Garrison.”

The warmth disappeared from behind Lance, but the knife stayed right where it was. The fabric of his shirt moved as the stranger lifted the back hem. A sympathetic hiss of pain followed as Lance’s burn scar was revealed.

“See? They did that to me. No way I could work for them with-” Lance tried to turn, but the man must’ve startled because next thing he knew, he was on his back in the clearing, pinned down by the stranger.

Lance gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. With that gasp came a sudden realization. He laughed nervously. “You’re pretty strong for an Omega.”

“Or maybe you’re just weak for an Alpha,” the stranger growled in reply. 

“Listen, buddy, I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m not going to hurt you. I couldn’t if I tried. You saw my back. I can’t fight, okay?”

The knife was back at his throat. “Then what are you doing here?”

“I live out here!” Lance was indignant now. This guy was just plain rude. “I retired to live out here after my injury. Plus, this is my property, so _I_ should be the one asking _you_ what you’re doing here!”

The man backed off, resheathing his knife. “I’m sorry. I thought that- Well… nevermind.”

Lance slipped out from under him, standing to brush the dirt off his pants as the man did the same. “Come on, dude. You come in here, chopping down my trees and wrecking up the foliage,” Lance gestured to the woods around him, “and you can’t even give me a decent explanation? Or even tell me your name?”

The man folded his arms, scowling even though he was in the wrong. “I’m Keith. I got kicked out of the Garrison, so I came here. I thought you were one of their agents trying to finish me off.”

Lance whistled at that. “Finished off? Kicked out? Those greedy bastards will snatch up anyone they can. What’d you do to get on their bad side?” Lance was wary now. Keith must’ve been more dangerous than he looked. And it wasn’t like Lance had had a good first impression of him to start with.

Keith glared at him, “Does it matter?”

Lance was starting to get fed up with this guy. “No it doesn’t, but if you give me a good story maybe I’ll give you a place to stay.”

Keith seemed to perk up at that. It was no wonder. From what Lance could see, Keith’s makeshift tent hadn’t protected him from the rain earlier that morning. And the firewood was wet now, meaning Keith’s damp clothes were bound to turn cold soon.

“I went snooping through their secrets and they had to find a reason to get rid of me.”

Lance raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t comment.

“My brother went missing a year ago. They said it was due to a pilot error during one of the training runs. But I knew that wasn’t true.”

“How?”

Keith blinked at him. “What?”

“How’d you know that wasn’t true?”

Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes. “He was the best pilot there. Takashi Shirogane.”

Lance blanched. “Your brother is Shiro!?”

Keith nodded.

“ _The_ Shiro!? Your _brother_!?”

“Yes. Adopted, but yes.”

Lance’s next words came out more hesitant. “And he’s… dead?”

Keith ran a hand down his face with a heavy sigh. “If you would just listen-”

“Sorry.”

“I knew there wasn’t any way he died during a standard training run. So I went searching for answers. Turns out they don’t like that kind of thing at the Garrison. It took me a long time to bypass all their security. But I found the truth and… they punished me for it.”

Lance couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to him? To you?”

Keith looked away, arms still folded. But now it looked more protective instead of standoffish. “They sold him to the Galra. So I’m sure whatever fate he met was worse than death.”

“Oh. Oh my god. I’m so sorry.”

“They tried to find a reason to get rid of me without revealing that I knew their secret. They put me through a billion tests, but I passed them all. Hand-to-hand combat, distance shooting, flying above light speed, even their insane endurance training. But it was that damned DNA test that got me.”

“DNA?”

Keith stared at the ground, his next words coming out softer, “I’m part Galra. And they used that as an excuse to get rid of me.”

“You don’t look part Galra.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You expecting purple fur and fangs?”

Lance cringed. “Kinda, yeah.”

“You got something against Xenos?”

Lance shook his head. “No, of course not. My last girlfriend was Altean, actually. And I think I’ve got a bit of Mer swimming around somewhere in my family tree. Get it? Swimming?”

Keith gave him a once-over. “Yeah, I could see that.”

Lance perked up. “Really? I mean, I’ve never seen a Mer up close and personal but I hear they’re beautiful. Which explains all of this.” He gestured to himself with an added eyebrow waggle.

Keith ignored what he’d said, which stung a little. “So what’s your story? I told you mine.”

Lance moved closer to the camp, Keith trailing behind him. He took a seat near the makeshift tent and gestured for Keith to sit too. But he chose to lean against a tree, arms still crossed.

Lance went on with his story regardless. “I was in the Garrison a couple of years back. I was supposed to be a cargo pilot. Just a cargo pilot, and nothing more. I promised my mom I wouldn’t be doing anything dangerous. But it was my dream to fly.”

“You got those injuries from being a cargo pilot? Must not have been very good at flying, then.”

“Rude! And no, I didn’t get them from being a cargo pilot. If you would let me finish, then you’d know how I got them.”

Keith didn’t respond to that, which Lance took as his cue to continue. “You know how the Garrison is. They’ll take anybody they can to fight the Galra. They sent me into mission after mission without formal training. They threatened to kick me out if I didn’t do what they said. I needed the money for my family. I couldn’t just quit.”

Lance shifted where he was sitting. “Anyways, I ended up getting injured after an explosion on one of the bases we were taking down. I tried to protect my commanding officer, Coran. And I ended up like this because of it. I spent months in the hospital and then in physical therapy. And after it was all said and done, I-”

Keith startled at Lance’s sudden voice crack.

“I came home to find my entire family gone. My entire city demolished by the Galra. Nobody told me. Not even a passing comment from any of the Garrison higher-ups. They just let me go back. Let me witness the carnage with my own eyes. After that, I came here, away from everything.”

“That’s rough, buddy.”

Silence filled the air for a brief moment. Keith’s impatience was clear through his tapping foot and pinched expression.

Lance leaned forward to look up at Keith. “How long are you planning on staying here?”

“I’m not sure. It’s not like I have anywhere to go.”

Lance perked up. “Do you want to stay with me? I could use the help if you’re willing.”

Keith stiffened, blinking down at Lance. “You serious?”

Lance stood, brushing the dirt off his butt. “As long as you promise not to murder me in the middle of the night.”

“If I wanted to kill you, I could’ve already.”

“If I could kill you, I would’ve already,” Lance shot back playfully. 

Keith didn’t look too amused at his quip. “I’m serious about you staying with me, though. It’s hard enough just existing with my back turned into human jerky. Even harder for me to garden or hunt. So what do you say?”

Keith squinted at him as if trying to determine whether this was a trap or not. “Fine. Not like I have anywhere better to go.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Keith’s only possessions were the clothes on his back, so Lance just led the way back to his cabin. It wasn’t too far from where Keith had made his own camp. Lance was surprised they’d run into each other at all, considering how large the woods were. But anyone trying to get away from the Garrison was bound to come to these woods. They weren’t all too far from the Garrison, but the thick foliage helped hide runaways. These woods were mostly empty, too. Many of the residents in the area surrounding the Garrison had been driven out or recruited for the cause. It left the woods quiet, peaceful, and perfect for hiding out.

A quarter-hour later, they arrived at the cabin. It was run-down and old, but it was home to Lance. It’d belonged to his paternal grandparents long ago, but now it sat empty save for him. The front porch was sagging, hardly supported by rotting beams. Vines twisted around the property and poked up from between floorboards. Fallen branches sat crookedly on the roof. There were probably a dozen cabins just like this one in the area, but this one was his.

“Home sweet home.” Lance gestured to the property before heading inside.

He’d only been in the house for half a year, but he felt proud how much he’d spruced the place up. It was an open-concept plan with a couple of doors off the main area. Lance had painstakingly cleaned the place and it smelled like the veggie stew he’d made for lunch.

“You can stay in this room,” Lance said. He took Keith to the door nearest the back entrance. It’d been one of the guest rooms, back when his grandparents lived there. His parents would sleep in there when they came to visit. Lance, his siblings, and his cousins would normally pile into sleeping bags in the living room. His aunts and uncles had other rooms in the cabin, but Lance had always viewed his parents’ guest bedroom as superior. Mostly because it was the only guest room with a TV. Though the TV was useless now that the cabin didn’t receive electricity.

Lance pulled open one of the dresser drawers in the corner of the room. “You can help yourself to any of the clothes in here. I’m not sure how much of it will fit but you’re welcome to look.”

“Okay.”

“Bathroom’s next door. And if you’re hungry or thirsty you can have anything in the kitchen. Also, feel free to scent whatever you want in here. I’ve got my own room on the other side of the house. So everything in here is free reign for you.”

Keith grazed his hand over the thick wool blanket on the bed. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it.” Lance turned to leave but paused in the doorway to add one more thing. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that there’s no running water or electricity. So if you need to shit or wash your hands or something you’ll have to pull water from the well in the back yard. Toilet still flushes, but you need water so you… well, I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“I got it.”

“Good. Now I’m gonna go tend the garden and you can make yourself at home. Just don’t steal any of my stuff, please.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but his mouth quirked up into a small smile as Lance left the room.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. The sun was starting to set earlier these days as summer faded away. Lance’s harvest was coming in well. He counted himself lucky to live where he did. It never got all that cold, meaning his garden could flourish year-round. That was good news for him since he had no idea how to preserve food. It was a good thing his grandma had been really into vegetable gardening too. Though he was starting to get sick of eating the same old foods every day. He could really use some protein in his diet.

He and Keith ate dinner together. It was the same vegetable stew that he’d made that morning. Lance knew he wasn’t the best cook, but Keith didn’t complain.

Lance fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. If Keith had been intent on murdering him that night, he would’ve had ample opportunity. Lance was out like a light.

He woke late the next morning. Normally he’d wake shortly after sunrise, but today he could already see the sun fully through his eastern window. He did his business in the bathroom, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and headed into the kitchen to scrounge up breakfast. 

His tomato harvest was booming at the moment and he had more tomatoes than he knew what to do with. So tomatoes for breakfast it was. He went to go fetch Keith, but when he opened the bedroom door, it was empty. Maybe he was in the bathroom?

The bathroom was empty too. Lance started to panic. Maybe Keith really had robbed him. It was foolish of him to trust someone from the Garrison. No doubt they would know of his position soon. They might try to eliminate him if they thought he knew classified information. Lance didn’t _think_ he knew any classified information but it was anyone’s guess as to what the Garrison thought of as “classified”.

Resigned to his fate, Lance dragged himself back to his bedroom. He wondered what he’d have to pack and if he’d be able to even find somewhere else to live. His old duffle bag was worn and dirty. It would do the trick, though. He started packing his things, what little he had.

He had no idea when Keith had left or how much time he had before they came for him. He’d need food and seeds from his garden. Any weapons he could find, too, just in case he ended up needing them. Though he knew it wouldn’t be of much use. He had limited mobility given the state of his back and kitchen knives would be useless against the Garrison guns.

Lance trudged to the kitchen to see what he could find. Sun-dried veggies were sure to be good. They’d keep for a few weeks at least. Just as he was reaching for some, his back door slammed open.

He jumped in surprise, suppressing a squeal. He had to run. Had to get out of there before-

“Lance?” Keith poked his head in from around the door. “Can you give me a hand here?”

“Keith?” Lance blinked at him.

“Yeah…?”

“You’re back?”

Keith nodded.

“You didn’t leave to tell the Garrison about my hideout?”

Keith’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “No? Why would I do that?”

Lance sighed with relief. “Oh. Oh okay that’s great. Where have you been?”

“Hunting. Now would you help me drag this stag carcass closer to the house?”

Lance dropped his bag, evacuation plan forgotten. “Sure, no problem.”

They ate venison for dinner. It was the first time in years that Lance was able to eat meat. And all suspicions of Keith being a secret Garrison agent were gone. Well, most suspicions.

“You’re sure it’s okay for me to stay here?” Keith asked as they finished dinner. “The Garrison wants me. They know I know the truth about Shiro. It could be dangerous.”

“If you keep up the hunting, I don’t care WHO is after you. Stay as long as you like.”

Keith smiled softly. “Okay. Thanks.”


	2. Chapter 2

As the days passed, Lance’s suspicions of Keith being a Garrison spy diminished. Keith proved himself to be a useful part of the household. He volunteered to do many of the things Lance had trouble with. It was a bonus that he knew how to hunt. And although he’d been cold and standoffish at first, he soon opened up. Lance very much enjoyed the company after years of being by himself.

It wasn’t easy living out in the woods like they were. No running water, no electricity, no grocery stores, etc. But those weren’t the only issues. There were no spices or herbs for food unless Lance was able to grow them. So every meal was slightly lacking. Not to mention the absence of salt.

There also wasn’t an abundance of tools to fix things around the house. Let alone materials for home improvement. The front porch was falling apart, but it wasn’t like they could go pick up some two-by-fours at the store.

Lance hadn’t expected an easy life out here. Keith probably hadn’t either, given that he’d been roughing it when Lance found him. But they were city-folk, not used to self-sufficient living. It was harder than either of them had originally expected. Plus, the Garrison controlled everything in their area. No other country would take them in, given they were ex-Garrison members. Lance was in no position to be making alliances with Xenos to try and get off Earth. And Keith was a wanted man. He’d have to lay low for at least a few years.

Lance was ruminating on these things one morning. He wished he could change his situation. Wished his circumstances weren’t what they were. Wished he’d never joined the Garrison in the first place.

He didn’t get to beat himself up for his past choices for long. Keith came out of his room, bidding Lance good morning. He was already dressed and prepped for the day. Meanwhile, Lance was only in his pajama bottoms. Keith grabbed a piece of venison jerky for breakfast. Lance didn’t know how he was able to eat that first thing in the morning. It was too much chewing to be doing this early, in Lance’s opinion.

“We’re running low on firewood right?” Keith asked.

Lance took a sip of his water. “Yeah. You planning to get more?”

“I’m going to try to sharpen my ax and then I’ll go get some.”

Lance nodded in acknowledgment. “I think there’s a whetstone in the shed, but I’m not sure.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Lance continued nibbling on his breakfast and watched as Keith busied himself around the kitchen. He washed some vegetables and laid them out to dry. Lance would use them later for lunch or dinner. Then he put away the plates, a task that Lance had struggled with before he showed up. 

The dinnerware was stored in one of the upper cabinets. But Lance wasn’t able to extend his arms upwards at that angle without stretching the skin of his back. He’d stood on a chair and taken down a couple of bowls and plates when he first moved in. Then he’d created a new spot to store them on the counter. That way it’d be easy for him to access. Now with Keith around, Lance could better utilize the kitchen space. Keith could grab whatever Lance needed and Lance didn’t have to leave everything on the counters. It gave him more room to do his cooking. Though it’d only been a few weeks, Lance found himself thinking that he could get used to this.

“I’m heading out,” Keith said, more of a courtesy than anything, as Lance was watching him anyway. “You need anything else?”

Lance thought for a moment. “Can you bring in some water when you get back? I don’t need it right now but it would be good to store it for later.”

Keith nodded without a word and left, the back door clicking shut behind him.

Lance looked around the cabin, wondering what he should do today. The house needed a bit of cleaning. It would be good to open the windows and circulate some air too. He set about the tasks with a positive attitude. When he was done he could start on lunch for him and Keith.

The day went by as it normally did. Lance was falling into this new routine with ease. Keith would spend the morning outdoors. He’d said he wanted to get things done before it got too hot. He did all sorts of things around the house, even if Lance hadn’t asked him too. He justified it as “payment” for being allowed to live there.

They ate lunch together, as usual. Everything was “as usual” until the next morning.

Lance was eating breakfast in the dining room. Then, Lance was finishing breakfast in the dining room. Then Lance was finishing lunch. And dinner. And Keith’s bedroom door was still shut. In fact, he hadn’t seen Keith all day.

Keith was a secretive guy. Lance had observed that much at least, during their brief time together. But he was also restless. He’d never cooped himself up like this before. He didn’t talk much, but he was always _doing_ something or other.

The sun was setting outside as Lance went to knock on Keith’s door.

“Hey, Keith? Haven’t seen you all day, bud. You’re not dead in there, are you?”

There was no response.

Lance spoke again, “Don’t tell me a possum came in the middle of the night and ripped your face off.”

This time Lance could hear a rustling from behind the door. A moment later, Keith was opening it. Lance was immediately hit with the smell. He’d never smelled it before, but it was unmistakable.

“Something’s wrong with me,” Keith croaked.

Lance instinctively covered his nose and mouth. “I’ll say…”

Keith pushed his hair back from his face, damp with sweat. “Lance, I’m serious. I think I’m sick. You should probably stand back. Wouldn’t want you catching whatever this is.”

Lance stared up at him, his voice muffled behind his hand, “You’re joking, right?”

Keith’s slow blink was all Lance needed to know that Keith’s brain was absolutely fried. Poor dude probably had no idea what was happening. And he’d taken the precaution of staying sequestered in his room for Lance’s sake. It was sweet, even though it wasn’t necessary.

“Dude, you just released a bomb of pheromones on me and you’re telling me you don’t even know what’s going on?”

Another slow blink, and then realization dawned on Keith’s face. “No way. There is no way in hell-”

“You’re in heat.”

“Fuck,” Keith breathed.

“Yep. That’s kind of the whole point.”

Keith closed the door on Lance and he assumed that was the end of their conversation. But then he opened the door again two seconds later.

“What am I supposed to do?” he hissed, panic filling his voice.

“Do I look like an Omega to you? I don’t know!”

“Shit. Fuck. Shit. I’ve never- I haven’t had a heat before.”

Lance paused, lowering his hand from his face. “For real?”

“I’ve been bouncing between foster homes since before I can even remember. And then the Garrison had us on all those suppressants. And I’ve never felt safe enough to go into heat before.”

Lance couldn’t help the shit-eating grin spreading on his face. “Aww, Keith! You mean you feel safe here? Enough for your body to have its first heat?”

Keith grabbed a pillow off the bed and lobbed it at Lance. “Shut up! I can’t- I don’t- Lance, just-” He was stumbling over his words, face turning crimson as he spoke.

“Hey, man. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together, okay? Tell me what you need.”

Keith turned to Lance, his mouth opening, but the only sound that came out was a whine. He slapped his hand over his mouth, the flush returning to his cheeks even brighter. That’d been an Omega whine. And while many Omegas used it often to sway Betas and Alphas into spoiling them, Lance had never heard it come from Keith. It looked like _Keith_ had never heard it come from Keith either.

Lance chuckled, trying to break the tension. “Okay, I guess I can improvise for now and you let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

Keith nodded in agreement and Lance took that as his cue to close the door and leave. 

The first thing he did was slam open the back door and take a breath of fresh air because _holy fucking shit_. He was so lucky they didn’t have air ventilation in the house or he’d have been dead from blue balls by now. 

He’d learned about Omega heats before. Learned about the biological reasons behind it, and about how Omegas only went into heat when they felt safe and content. Learned about how the pheromones would affect Alphas (and sometimes Betas). How it’d create rut-like symptoms in nearby mates. But nothing could’ve prepared him for that. For the smell that had come from Keith’s open door. Now, thinking back, he’d been feeling tense all day. But he’d assumed it had to do with his own hormonal cycle, not Keith’s pheromones leaking out of his room and into the rest of the cabin.

Now that he could breathe again, and think again, he made a mental list of everything Keith might need. He’d gone through a rut or two himself since moving out here. Ruts were simpler than heats, though. He could get himself off, no problem. But for Omegas, they needed… penetration. What was Lance supposed to do? Walk hundreds of miles to the nearest civilization and pray they had a sex shop? He eyed his cucumber plant but squashed that idea away as soon as it reared its ugly head. There was no way in hell he could hand Keith some phallic vegetable like that without shame. If Keith needed it, he could ask for it. Or better yet, he could get it himself.

Instead, he busied himself collecting food and water for Keith. Lance could continue making meals, but Keith would still need some snacks. And he’d probably need nesting materials. Lance had never nested before, never gotten the urge too. But he knew Omegas were more likely to nest. Plus, a few extra blankets, pillows, and towels never hurt anyone.

With his haul in tow, he braced himself in front of Keith’s door. He took one last breath of semi-pheromone-free air and pushed into the room.

Keith sat shirtless on the edge of the bed. His pale skin contrasted the flush running from his chest up to his ears. He was still sweating bullets, too, the poor guy.

Lance dumped his armful of stuff onto the dresser, sorting it haphazardly.

“I brought some linens and some snacks and stuff. Water’s in these bottles and I can refill them for you later if you need me to. And I can get other stuff too if you need it.”

“Thanks.” 

Keith watched Lance as he took a seat on the bed too. “You gonna be okay?”

Keith pursed his lips, something clearly on his mind. “What if…” He trailed off.

“What if what?” Lance prompted.

“What if this isn’t heat?”

Lance leaned closer, trying to ensure he’d heard that right. “What are you talking about? What would it be if it’s not heat?”

Keith wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t know. I’m half Galra so what if it’s some sort of, like, space flu?”

“Space flu,” Lance echoed. “Do Galra not have heats?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know? You’re literally half Galra!”

Keith threw his hands up, eyebrows furrowed. “My mom left when I was a baby. I don’t think she bothered explaining Galra physiology to me before she disappeared. And even if she did, it’s not like I’d remember it now.”

“But you never bothered to, I don’t know, research it?”

“Because there’s _so_ many public resources about Galran sex cycles,” Keith deadpanned.

“There’s got to be something, at least. Weren’t you ever worried about stuff like- like having kids?”

“Of course you’d fucking say that. Because all you damn Alphas see when you look at Omegas is a baby-making machine, isn’t it?”

Lance spluttered in surprise. “That’s not what I’m trying to say! It just seems irresponsible to not even try and learn about your body.”

“Well, I thought being an infertile Galran half-breed would mean I’d never have a heat! Do you think I never thought about it? Having my own family? One that wouldn’t abandon me? I’ve thought about it. So fucking much. But I’ve known I can’t, so I never bothered getting my hopes up.” Keith was spitting the words at Lance by the end of his rant. His fists were curled tight in the blankets, knuckles white and his teeth bared.

Lance shrank in on himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize-”

“Realize what, huh? That I’m some useless, less-than-human Omega? I can’t even do the one job my sex is made for.” He turned away, and even though Lance couldn’t see him, he knew Keith was on the brink of tears.

“That’s not what I meant, Keith. I’m sorry. I know this must be scary for you, especially with me here as an unfamiliar Alpha. But just for the record, I’m pretty sure you’re in heat, not sick with some space disease.”

Keith turned back to him, wiping at his eyes. “How do you know?”

“Well, you’re definitely more emotional than I’ve ever seen you. Classic sign. But also, I’ve been, uh,” he gestured to his lap, “feeling the side-effects of your heat.”

Keith glanced down, then back up at Lance, his face turning that crimson hue again. He closed his eyes quickly, taking in a sharp breath before opening them again. Lance nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Oh my God!”

“What?!”

“Your eyes, dude!”

“My eyes?” he asked, one hand coming up to touch his face unconsciously. Then he was leaping off the bed and making a run for the bathroom mirror. 

Lance was hot on his tail, turning the corner right as Keith took his first proper look.

“They’re… yellow.”

Lance nodded. “Like a Galra’s.”

“Oh.” Keith stared at himself, almost transfixed by the change. A few moments later, his eyes were back to normal. “That’s new.”

“What made them change?”

“I don’t know.”

Lance thought for a moment. “WAIT! It was when you looked at my dick, wasn’t it?!”

Keith looked at him with dismay. “No. No, no, no.”

Lance grinned, his smile spreading wider as he stepped closer to Keith. “Oh yes, yes, yes. You went Galra ‘cause you were thinking about my dick.”

That only prompted Keith to look down, and in the next blink, his eyes were yellow again.

Lance couldn’t help pointing it out and laughing. “You did it again!”

Keith closed his eyes, turning away from Lance. “Stop it, Lance.”

Lance relented, stepping back. “Sorry, sorry. It’s kind of cute so I couldn’t help myself.”

“This is so-” he growled in frustration.

“Okay, let’s just get you back to bed. We can deal with all this Galra stuff after your heat passes.” Lance reached out a hand to take Keith’s arm.

“Wait, don’t-” Keith slapped his hand over his mouth as soon as Lance touched him.

“Keith? You okay?”

Keith stared down at Lance’s hand on his arm. Then, slowly, he uncovered his mouth and revealed the small fangs that’d he’d grown.

Lance startled back, stunned at this new development. As his hand left Keith, the fangs slowly pulled back into his gums. Which was both intriguing and disturbing. “Yellow eyes when you’re turned on. Retractable fangs when I touch you. Cool. Cool. We can work with this.”

“You’re scared of me, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not. It’s just… surprising. But we’ll figure it out. It’s gonna be okay.”

Keith reluctantly allowed Lance to drag him back to his room. Lance made sure he had everything he needed. Told him that he didn’t need to feel embarrassed about asking for anything, no matter how crazy it might sound. Once he was satisfied that Keith wasn’t going to up-and-die on him, he left, closing the door behind him.

Then he promptly locked himself in his own room, stripping his pants off and wrapping a hand around his cock.

He’d kept it together as well as he could but _holy smokes_. He was harder than he’d ever been in his entire life. All he’d wanted to do was bury his face in Keith’s scent glands and rut on him. He’d never felt like this before. Not even with his exes. It was almost embarrassing how horny he was. It had to just be the pheromones. Lance had to tell himself that or else he’d need to admit how _fucking attractive_ he found Keith’s Galra features.

The thought of sinking his cock into Keith’s mouth between those fangs. Or watching Keith’s eyes go golden while he fucked him into the mattress. Grabbing his hair and tongue-fucking him while he sunk his knot into Keith’s-

This was dangerous thinking. Lance knew it. But he couldn’t help it. He was so… And Keith was…

He was so close, could feel his knot swelling under his touch. He could feel it building, body tense as he braced himself against the door.

Then, almost unbidden, the mental image of Keith sinking his fangs into Lance’s shoulder flashed in his mind. And that was it for Lance. He was biting into his lower lip to muffle the sounds and shooting his load over his own hand.

This was only day one of Keith’s heat. How was he going to survive the rest of it?


	3. Chapter 3

_Maybe if he stuffed wads of scrap fabric in his nose, it would block out the smell._ No, no, that was a stupid idea. He’d probably end up suffocating somehow. _He could sleep with his head out the window._ Too many bugs for that. And wild animals in general. _Or, he could just go scent and knot Keith. That’d calm the Omega down for sure. And he’d stop releasing so many pheromones because he’d be satisfied to have found a mate._ Absolutely not! That was his worst idea yet.

Lance rolled over in bed, pulled open his window, stuck his head out, and took a giant whiff of fresh air. His pajama bottoms were chafing against his dick. He’d jerked off so much that at this point, he couldn’t even get his knot to swell. Now that he wasn’t breathing in the stagnant air, he was starting to feel a little ashamed of everything he’d just done. The whole house was starting to smell like Omega heat and Alpha spunk at this point. If the Garrison came for them now, they’d have to be wearing gas masks to even enter the house without gagging on the pheromones.

Lance didn’t want to admit how much Keith’s heat scent was affecting him. It was embarrassing, really. Sure, he’d found the guy attractive when they’d first met all those months ago. But who wouldn’t have? Tall, dark, and handsome, he was the stereotype of a hot bad-boy type. Not to mention he was Lance’s type. Opinionated, strong-willed, but a kind person at heart. 

Lance wasn’t some jerk of an Alpha, looking down on Omegas as a “lesser” sex. His mother had raised him better than that, which he was thankful for. That didn’t change the fact that Keith _was_ an Omega, though. And biology dictated Alphas and Omegas as attracting opposites. That didn’t make Lance a slave to his biology. After all, there were plenty of people who didn’t adhere to the ternary dynamics of secondary sexes when dating or even in marriage. 

But Lance’s initial attraction, paired with Keith’s current scent, and then sprinkling the little Galra transformation on top? Maybe Lance was a slut for danger. Or he just loved getting himself into awkward situations. It’s not like he _wanted_ to be turned on every second of every day while Keith was in heat. If he really wanted to, he could chalk it up to the fact that he’d been alone for a while now. Tell himself that he was just a lonely pervert who finally had a chance at getting his dick wet. Or he could pretend that it was all a physical reaction to Keith’s heat scent. None of that was the truth, though. 

Lance could feel it building in him, the simmering of an upcoming rut. Keith would probably be over his heat by the time it came, but Lance could feel it nonetheless. No Alpha in his position should’ve been thrown into rut simply from smelling an Omega’s heat. That was something that was supposed to happen between mates. He and Keith had never even scented one another, let alone done anything else.

It could even have been Keith’s Galra DNA. Maybe it made his scent stronger, more effective. But if Lance was being truthful with himself, none of what he’d just considered was the real cause. The only reason he was feeling this way was because he was irrefutably, undeniably, and extremely attracted to Keith.

“Lance?”

Lance yelped, scrambling to sit up and banging his head on the window frame on the way back in. “Keith?!”

Keith stood in the doorway, hair tousled and clothes thrown on haphazardly.

“Your shirt’s on backward,” Lance noted.

“You had your head out the window,” Keith fired back.

“Touche. What’s up?”

“Smells weird in here. What’ve you been doing?”

Lance chuckled, closing his window and pulling himself out of bed. “You do not want to know.”

Keith's eyes went yellow for a moment. He probably didn’t notice, but Lance sure as hell did. 

“What’s up?” Lance asked.

“Do you have any- Nevermind, this was stupid.” He raked a hand down his face, looking away from Lance. “I’ll figure something else out.”

Lance made his way towards Keith, trying to subtly readjust his pants. Having the source of the scent in his doorway was starting to negate any effect sticking his head out the window had had. “Do I have any what?”

Keith backed away as Lance approached. “Nothing. It’s fine.”

He didn’t buy it, though. Not with the way Keith wouldn’t look at him. Or the blush rising in his cheeks. Keith was a quiet guy, self-sufficient, and proud. The kind of person who wouldn’t ask for help until the last possible moment. If he was coming all the way across the cabin to Lance’s room, he must really need something. And it must’ve been something he couldn’t get by himself or he wouldn’t have bothered even asking Lance. All these factors only drove Lance to become more curious.

“You sure? I swear I won’t laugh at you. Or judge you. At least, not out loud.”

Keith glared at him, arms crossed. “That’s real reassuring.”

Lance shrugged. “Being mysterious about it is only going to make me more nosy. So you can tell me what you came for or I can bother you about it until the end of time.”

“You’re insufferable sometimes, you know?” His tone didn’t hold any malice, though. Then, with a drawn-out sigh, “Fine. I was going to ask if you… had any clothes I could borrow.”

“That’s it?” Lance walked over to his closet, reaching a hand up to skim along the hangers. “Yeah, man, you can borrow whatever you want. What’re you looking for? Pajamas? Sweatpants? Shorts? Or are you cold? Need a sweater?” He was just listing things off at this point, thumbing through the clothes he had hanging up. 

Keith cleared his throat, shuffling further into the room. His voice was quieter than before. “Not those clothes.”

“Not these clothes? So, what? You want a dress or something?”

Keith flushed, stammering out a quick, “No!” He glanced into the closet, avoiding Lance’s eyes again. “I want something that you’ve… scented.”

“Something I’ve scented?”

“Something you’ve, um, worn already.” His voice trailed off at the end of the statement.

“My dirty clothes. Is this for your nest?”

There his eyes went turning yellow again. “Yes.”

“You sure you want my scent in there?”

Keith blinked, eyes still like a Galra’s. “I’m sure.”

_Okay, that was… kinda hot._ Lance went to pick up his laundry basket, bringing it back over to Keith. “What do you want? Got a whole basket of stuff for you to choose from.”

Lance expected him to fish out a shirt or two and call it a day. But instead, Keith reached out and took the entire basket, pulling it out of Lance’s hands and into his own. “Can I have the pants you’re wearing, too?”

Lance wanted to refuse, but the look on Keith’s face was like that of a lost puppy. Well, with the yellow eyes, it was more like a lost kitten. Lance wasn’t necessarily thinking with his head, either. Alpha instincts insisted he do anything to please this pretty Omega and he was having a hard time suppressing those instincts.

He had enough sense left to maintain his dignity, at least. “Okay, get out so I can change, and then you can have them.”

Keith let Lance shoo him out of the room, clutching onto Lance’s laundry basket as he left.

Lance changed his pants, balling up his old pair to give to Keith. He hesitated at the door. This was weird, wasn’t it? They weren’t a couple. Hadn’t scented one another even once before. Yet Keith had asked for his clothes. Wanted Lance’s scent in his nest. It gave Lance butterflies in his stomach and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Keith would be living with him for the unforeseen future and it wouldn’t do him any good to develop a crush on the guy. It was an Alpha’s job to look after an Omega. It wasn’t his job to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. Finding Keith attractive was one thing, but opening his heart would be a whole different ordeal.

Not wanting to keep Keith waiting any longer, he opened the door. Keith was still standing outside of it, clearly waiting for Lance. Lance dumped his pants into the basket and Keith looked down at it, a pleased look on his face.

“Are you hungry?” Lance asked. “I can start on dinner.”

“Uh, yeah, a little.”

“Great. Now get out of my way so I can go cook.” Lance reached out a hand to push Keith forward.

“Don’t.” Keith bit out, sliding away from Lance’s hand.

Lance recoiled, suddenly remembering what had happened last time he’d touched Keith. “Right, sorry. The teeth thing.”

“It just feels weird,” Keith clarified, breaking the awkward tension that’d bloomed.

“I can imagine,” Lance said with a laugh. “Seriously, though, get out of my way so I can make dinner.”

Keith complied, hauling his catch (of Lance’s clothes) back to his room. Meanwhile, Lance started pulling out the pots and pans he’d need. He wanted to make some sort of stew for them. Before his heat, Keith had caught another deer and a rabbit. They’d already eaten the rabbit, but there was still some venison left over. They’d dried it out in the woodstove so it’d have to boil for a while so it could soften.

Lance opened the container of meat, unwrapping the dried strips and taking a few out. He busied himself chopping it up while he waited for the water to boil.

Time passed quickly like this when he was absorbed in his cooking. He’d never been a great chef, but it was one of his hobbies now that he lived out in the woods. There wasn’t much for him to do, especially given his injury. Lance liked to imagine his cooking had improved at least a little over the years.

Keith crept out of his room when the meal was almost done. And though Lance tried not to let it distract him, he ended up spilling some of the stew when he was portioning it out. Keith helped clean it up. Lance hoped Keith thought he was just clumsy and didn’t suspect the real reason he’d spilled.

Keith ended up taking his bowl back to his room, leaving Lance alone in the dining room. Not that he minded. He’d gotten used to eating alone. It might’ve been better this way, too. Less chance for mishap when he wasn’t distracted by Keith.

He was mid-bite when Keith popped back into the dining room.

“Are you coming?” he asked.

Lance nearly choked on his food. “What?!”

“To my room? So we can eat together?”

Lance pounded on his own chest, trying to dislodge the piece of food that he’d nearly swallowed whole. With a cough, it finally came loose. He waved Keith away, still trying to regain his ability to breathe.

Keith slipped back into his room and a few moments later, Lance followed him. Again, he couldn’t resist a polite offer from the Omega. It seemed wrong somehow.

Keith had indeed made a nest on the bed. And, while Lance had been cooking, apparently, he’d added Lance’s worn clothing to the nest. It wasn’t much more than a load of cloth stacked high in a circle, but Keith seemed pleased with it. He was sat near the side of the nest, a bowl of stew cradled in his hand.

Lance wasn’t rude enough to plop into someone’s nest uninvited, so he settled into the desk at the far end of the room. They ate in silence, Keith practically inhaling his food. When he was done, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. It should’ve been a little gross to see that, but Lance found it endearing. _Curse his weak Alpha heart!_

He took the bowl from Keith, taking it out to the kitchen to wash. He left the dishes to dry and, feeling satisfied that Keith was full and had his needs met, he headed to his own room to turn in for the night. The sun had started to set and they’d be in total darkness soon. Having no electricity was good for Lance’s sleep schedule, at least. Though it’d been difficult to get used to when he’d first gotten out here.

His room still stank. Not as badly, but it brought a blush to his cheeks regardless. It was embarrassing how much Keith affected him. He tucked himself into bed, limbs sticking out from under the blanket to balance out the temperature. 

But no matter how much he tossed and turned, sleep wouldn’t come to him. Something was off. It might’ve been the persistent itch under his skin. His rut was going to come soon and his body made that fact apparent. Or maybe he was just irritable and the sounds of cicadas outside his window were only serving to further aggravate him. Or maybe it had something to do with Keith as all things seemed to these past couple of days.

How long were heats supposed to last anyway? Around a week, right? That meant five more days of this. Lance wasn’t even suffering as badly as Keith probably was. He shouldn’t be complaining. It wasn’t Keith’s fault that he’d gone into heat. It wasn’t Keith’s fault that his pheromones were throwing Lance into rut either. That was Lance’s stupid Alpha instincts latching on to the first available Omega in years.

It didn’t matter what exactly was causing Lance’s insomnia. He probably wouldn’t have slept long anyway, even if he had managed to fall asleep. Because not long after the sun had set, Lance heard footsteps in the hallway.

His first thought was the Garrison. They’d come for Keith, trying to kill him to make sure the truth about Shiro’s whereabouts never got out. They’d kill Lance too, just for harboring a “criminal”. This was it. He was going to see his family again. He didn’t think it’d happen so soon, but at least it’d most likely be quick and painless. Actually, it might not be. What if they tortured him to see what he knew? That wouldn’t be a fun way to die. Not that there _was_ such a thing as a “fun” way to die.

His heartbeat finally slowed a little when he smelled Keith’s now-familiar scent. Either Keith was coming towards his room, or the Garrison soldiers were hauling Keith’s lifeless body to his room. That second option was certainly less desirable.

The knock on his door was light and welcome. Soldiers would’ve broken in without a second thought. Keith knocked.

Lance got up to answer, having to squint a little to see. Even after years of living this way, he still hadn’t gotten used to the total darkness. It might’ve been the limits of the human body, too, now that he thought about it.

Keith was easy to see, however. His eyes had gone Galra, glowing yellow in the otherwise dark house.

“What’s up?” Lance asked. “And before you ask, no I don’t have any more dirty clothes to give you.”

Lance couldn’t see him, but he could imagine the flush on Keith’s cheeks. Cute.

“You just left,” Keith stated. “You didn’t come back after you took my bowl.”

“Was I supposed to?”

“I thought you were going to. I was waiting for you.”

“Okay, well, I’m sorry…?”

Keith didn’t reply, just blinked at him owlishly. Cat-ishly? The feline nature of the Galra made animal comparisons difficult.

Lance blinked back at him, wondering if Keith could see better in the dark with his mixed genes. “Uh, was there anything else?”

Keith shook his head, but he didn’t move to leave.

“Did you want me to come to your room?” Lance asked hesitantly.

Even though he couldn’t see jack-shit now, what with the last dregs of daylight finally gone, he could imagine the beet-red color of Keith’s face. His imagination must’ve been getting better because the mental image alone was enough for the butterflies in his stomach to start fluttering.

“I-” Keith stuttered out. “Only if- I guess- Yes.”

It was endearing, how shy he was about this. Normally he was blunt and callous. All one-word replies and simple sentences. Lance wouldn’t say he minded the change of pace from regular, non-heat-addled Keith.

Lance nodded once in acknowledgment, then went to fetch his pillow and blanket. With both of those in tow, he followed Keith back across the cabin.

If he was having trouble sleeping before, it was going to be damn near impossible now. Not in a room full of Omega scent. Especially when that Omega was Keith. Yet again, his dumb Alpha instincts to please the Omega were going to land him in a sticky situation.

Keith stole his blanket and pillow from him the moment they stepped inside the room.

“Hey!” Lance protested. How was he going to sleep now? He’d already been planning to sleep on the floor, but now Keith wanted him to sleep on the floor _without_ a blanket _or_ a pillow? Rude!

Keith was using his stolen goods to build up his nest even more as if it wasn’t already large enough. It spanned the entire perimeter of the king-sized bed. That seemed like an exorbitant amount of space for one Omega. Sure, Keith was taller and bigger than Lance, but not big enough to warrant that big of a nest.

“Fine. Steal my bedding. I’ll just make myself comfortable like this.” Lance began lowering himself onto the hardwood floor, but Keith’s next words made him freeze.

“Okay, it’s done. You can get in.”

“Say what now.” Lance didn’t even ask it like a question, the statement falling unbelievingly from his lips.

“My nest. It’s done. You can sleep now.”

“You want me. In your nest.”

Keith blinked at him again in that cat-like way. “Is it bad? I can redo it! Did I not scent it enough? Or too much?!” His voice was rising in pitch, nearly breaking. An Omega whine slipped out of him, unnoticed by Keith, who was now frantically rearranging his nest.

Lance was quick to console him before this turned into a full breakdown. “No, no! It’s perfect!” He reached out to still Keith’s hands.

Keith hissed, pulling his hands away and Lance flinched back. Oh right, the fangs.

“Sorry!” he blurted.

Keith calmed himself, shaking himself slightly. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Lance turned his attention back to the task at hand. “You’re sure you want me in your nest?” He’d never been invited into someone’s nest before. The last time he’d been in one would probably have been his mother’s nest, back when he was just a baby. “I’m not going to ruin it with my scent, am I?”

Keith, impatient as ever, took it upon himself to climb into the nest first. “It’s fine. Already smells like you.” As if to prove his point, he bent down, rubbing his scent gland over one of Lance’s shirts.

And wow, that was doing more to Lance than he’d like to admit. Cautiously, Lance made his way into Keith’s nest. He watched the other’s face, squinting in the dark to make sure he didn’t offend Keith somehow. Keith just watched him with a neutral expression as he slowly lowered himself into the nest.

He sat there dumbly, unsure of what to do next. The whole nest smelled like a mix of him and Keith, his dirty laundry, and Keith’s heat stink. It wasn’t doing any favors for Lance’s dick, that’s for sure.

Keith yawned, stretching out next to him and burying his face into the pile of cloth. After a moment, he looked up and noticed Lance still sitting beside him. He patted the area beside himself, motioning for Lance to lay down.

Cursing his Alpha instincts for the umpteenth time, Lance made himself comfortable sprawled in the nest.

Keith let out a purr of contentment and _boy howdy_ did Lance like the sound of that. Keith shuffled closer, reaching a hand out to wrap around Lance’s arm, clutching it like a teddy bear.

“Your teeth-” Lance started.

“ ‘s fine.” Keith’s voice was quiet as he readied himself to sleep. “You smell good.”

Lance was going to die. Right here and now, with this pretty Omega clinging onto him and telling him he smelt good while they were _laying in the Omega’s nest_.

“Night,” Keith whispered softly, and just like that he was out like a light.

Lance sent a silent prayer up to whatever higher power had seen fit to let this be his life. He wasn’t sure if his intentions were thankful or unbelieving, but he didn’t feel it mattered all too much. If this was day two of Keith’s heat, he was really going to break by the end of it.


	4. Chapter 4

It would’ve been better if the Garrison HAD come and killed him last night. Alright, maybe he was exaggerating a bit. But his current predicament made him wonder if this was heaven or hell he was in.

On one hand, he was in Keith’s nest, the Omega sprawled atop him and snoring peacefully. On the other hand, he was in Keith’s nest, he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep, and he’d been hard for hours. It didn’t feel right to jerk off in Keith’s nest. In fact, that seemed extremely wrong. So he suffered, pretty and pliant Omega draped over him like a human blanket.

The sun had come up about a quarter of an hour earlier. Lance would usually be waking up around this time, but seeing as he was already awake…

He should get breakfast ready. Couldn’t have Keith starving in the middle of his heat. But Keith looked so comfortable. The crease between his eyebrows was gone right now and he was breathing softly. It was different from how he was when he was awake. Though Lance couldn’t say he necessarily liked Keith better this way. That fiery spark wasn’t here now and that’s what Lance really liked about Keith.

They’d grown so much closer while living together. Had to put complete trust in one another as ex-Garrison members. And even though Lance knew Keith, it still felt like he was holding something back. Lance had shared countless stories about his family and the time they’d spent in this very cabin. Keith had shared his own stories about Shiro. They’d both cursed the Garrison left, right, and center for the atrocities they’d committed. 

But something was missing. Keith never let his guard down with Lance, not the way he had the past two days of his heat. He was vulnerable now, scared of the unknown, and willing to ask Lance for help. He’d never opened up like this before. Even though Lance had cried and laughed and broken down in front of Keith, Keith hadn’t shown any of that to him. He understood that, though. Lance had always been more outgoing than most people, more expressive and excitable. And Keith seemed more withdrawn and quiet. Too in-his-head about things sometimes.

Lance couldn’t pinpoint what exactly felt lacking in their newfound friendship, but he resolved to let it work itself out. They had the rest of forever to get to know one another. If they were lucky and the Garrison didn’t end up coming after them, at least. Maybe Keith’s heat was a good thing, a new opportunity for them to bond. Lance didn’t want them to stay strangers forever. It’d be nice to spend the rest of his life out here in the woods with a best friend. Because as nice as being amicable housemates was, Lance just really missed having a friend.

Keith was starting to stir, shifting his weight atop Lance. Lance brushed the hair from his face, noting that he was already starting to sweat. Being in heat must suck.

“Morning,” Lance greeted.

Keith shot up, scrambling to a sitting position. He looked panicked, eyes wide as he stared down at Lance.

“Lance,” he breathed, sounding relieved. “Sorry, I forgot you were here.”

Lance huffed a laugh, sitting up too. He shook out his arm and winced at the pins and needles that resulted from the action. It’d fallen asleep a while ago, but he hadn’t been willing to jostle Keith when moving it.

Keith stretched leisurely, invading Lance’s space. He rolled over in the nest, re-scenting everything as he went. Lance covered his nose, the fresh smell too strong. He didn’t think he could be any more affected than he already was, but he felt keyed up beyond belief. He felt like he could pop a knot then and there without even laying a hand on himself.

“I’m going to go get breakfast,” Lance croaked out. He made to leave the nest, but he paused when Keith let out another Omega whine. “You okay?”

Keith rolled onto his back, looking up at Lance with yellow eyes. They’d stayed yellow since last night. His full heat must’ve been kicking in, Galra features not fading away anymore. “You’re leaving?”

“Just to get some food.”

“I’m not hungry, though.”

Lance poked him in the forehead. “Doesn’t mean _I’m_ not hungry.”

Keith whined again and Lance felt his heart crack a little at the sound. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but he just looked up at Lance with a petulant face.

“What?” Lance asked playfully, poking at his forehead again.

“Can you scent me?” Keith slammed his mouth shut as soon as he said it, almost like it’d slipped out of him without consent.

Lance was taken aback. “You want me to?”

Keith avoided his gaze, instead choosing to fidget with the nest, rearranging it. “Only if you, um, if you want to.”

Lance hesitated. His Alpha scent would alleviate some of Keith’s heat symptoms. And scenting was a normal thing between close friends, family, and lovers. But Lance didn’t know if he’d describe his relationship with Keith as any of those things. Heat didn’t addle the mind, only sparked physiological reactions, so this wasn’t some weird heat-fueled request. This was just Keith, being honest and open. Maybe he viewed their relationship differently than Lance did. Now _that_ was something to think about.

Lance stuck out his wrist. If Keith wanted it, he could take that step himself. Lance wasn’t going to be the one to take that first step. It would define a new phase in their relationship. This meant Keith viewed him as a friend. Or at least someone close to him, close enough to scent him. To have his smell in the Omega’s nest, and even invite him to sleep in said nest.

Keith was quick to grab at Lance’s arm, pulling the Alpha closer to him. He wasted no time in bringing Lance’s wrist up to his neck, rubbing their scent glands together. It was _euphoric_. Keith’s scent was transferring to his skin as much as his was transferring to Keith’s. And now he was getting the full power of Keith’s pheromones right into his skin. This was great. Not making his dick _any_ harder or anything like that…

Keith moved on to the other side of his neck, grabbing at Lance’s other hand. Awesome. Just swell. Now he’d have Keith’s scent stuck on both of his wrists for who knows how long. That wouldn’t make going about his day more difficult. Not at _all_.

Satisfied with his work, Keith let go of Lance’s hands. He stretched out over the nest again and Lance took that as his cue to scramble fully off the bed.

“Feeling any better?” Lance adjusted his clothes where they’d been ruffled while sleeping. Or rather, from him laying awake under Keith’s snoring form.

“Feels good,” Keith said, a giggle slipping out of him. He slapped a hand over his mouth, face going crimson at the admission. But he was so loose-limbed and happy looking, it was apparent how much Lance’s scent was helping him.

“Okay, you little minx. I’m going to go get breakfast.” Lance finished re-tying his sweatpants. With one final look at the blissed-out Keith, he excused himself from the room.

Before he started gathering food, he needed a shower. He needed to cool his jets, slow his roll. Get his ducks in a row and clear his mind.

Hopefully scenting Keith would help soothe his scent because that shit was insane. Lance felt like he’d been huffing a Yankee candle all night. Sometimes you could have too much of a good thing.

The water helped, but only slightly. It definitely wasn’t an ice-cold shower like he would’ve liked. No ice out here, after all. But it did rinse most of Keith’s smell off of him. Once he changed into a fresh pair of clothes he felt like his head was back on straight.

Breakfast time. He knew Keith had said he didn’t want breakfast, but Lance didn’t doubt he’d change his mind once he awoke fully. Lance was disappointed to find that during the night, something had eaten some of his tomatoes. It must’ve been a bird or very clever racoon. Most animals couldn’t get past his makeshift fencing and barriers. It was frustrating, but he wouldn’t let it ruin his day.

His grandmother’s apple tree was starting to bear fruit, marking the end of summer. Lance was excited for it. He didn’t get many sweet things out here, so fruit was quite the treat. He got an apple for himself and Keith. Then he watered all his plants and checked on his fencing, though he couldn’t figure out where the animal had squeezed through last night. On the way back in, Lance nabbed a strip of dried venison for Keith, knowing his fondness for jerky in the morning.

Lance had initially been worried about food. He’d grown an excess of food, always trying to play it safe, but not enough for two people. Thankfully, Keith was fairly self-sufficient. His hunting skills came in handy and subsidized their food stores.

Keith was still sprawled out in the nest when Lance came back in. He’d knocked first, of course. Wouldn’t want to catch the Omega in a compromising position.

“Here,” Lance said, holding out the fruit and jerky.

Keith grabbed at them, taking a bite out of the jerky immediately.

“And you said you weren’t hungry,” Lance teased.

Keith wrinkled his nose at Lance, but he was too busy ripping apart the venison to answer. Which, now that Lance was paying attention.

“Are your fangs out?”

Keith paused, swallowing his bite. “Are they?” He reached up to touch his mouth, opening it up.

They were definitely out. Now he was sporting the yellow eyes and fangs, with no signs that they were leaving any time soon.

“Why…?” Keith touched the tip of one of them.

“Maybe because you’re reaching the peak of your heat?”

Keith grumbled something, but Lance didn’t catch what he’d said. He went back to gnawing on his deer jerky.

They ate in silence. Lance had tried to leave, but Keith had shot him a glare so deadly it froze him in his tracks. When they had finished, Lance took their apple cores out to the compost. And when he returned, Keith was still licking the juice from his fingers.

Keith flopped back onto the bed, sighing heavily. “Why am I having my first heat _now_?”

Lance settled into the desk chair, having turned it to face the bed earlier. “Maybe you finally let yourself relax? Isn’t that what you said?”

Keith covered his face with an arm. “Then why didn’t I ever go into heat when I was with Shiro? It would’ve made more sense to have my heat then instead of now.”

“I’m not sure that’s how that works,” Lance said with a chuckle. “It’d be recurring anyways, it’s not a one-and-done type of thing.”

“At least I’d know how to deal with it!”

That’s when Lance noticed, not that he meant to, but it was hard not to, that Keith was sporting quite the tent in his pants.

Keith sat up suddenly, addressing Lance with a flush covering his face. “You have ruts, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess?” Lance spluttered out. He hadn’t been expecting the question.

“How do you deal with them?”

Lance could only imagine the look on his face. He’d been away from polite society for a while, but even he knew that wasn’t a normal question to be asked. “I don’t know! I just…” He gestured with his hand in his lap.

Keith groaned, falling back onto the bed. “That’s it?”

“Yeah?! I don’t know what you were expecting me to say!” Lance thought for a moment. “Wait, did you want me to leave so you can…” He repeated his gesture.

Now it was Keith’s turn to splutter. “N- No!”

“Oh, so you want me to _stay_.” He winked. “I got it.”

Keith’s face went red again. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“So what’s the issue? You look like you’re handling your heat pretty well. Got your nest all set up. Still eating and staying hydrated. You’re a little more talkative, but I don’t know if I’d call that a bad thing.”

Keith threw one of the towels from his nest at Lance to shut him up. “It’s nothing.”

Lance caught the towel easily. “That’s what you say when it _is_ something.”

Keith buried his face in the side of the nest. “Can you just leave?”

“Do you want me to?”

“...no,” came the muffled reply.

Lance stood, walking over to tuck the towel back into its place on the bed. He took a seat on the edge, not sure if he was still allowed within the nest. “Alright, so what’s really going on?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

With a long-suffering sigh, Keith looked up at Lance. “It doesn’t help.”

“What doesn’t help? Oh, you mean when you-” He repeated the gesture for a third time.

Keith groaned, “Ugh, yes when I… you know.”

“You tried it?”

“How would I know it doesn’t work if I didn’t try it?”

“What do you mean it ‘doesn’t work’?” Lance asked.

Keith looked like he was ready to spontaneously combust. “I don’t get… relief.”

“You can’t come?”

Keith nearly shoved him off the bed. “Why are you so calm about this?! You don’t have any shame?”

Lance stuck a hand out to brace himself. “It’s natural! It’s just biology! Don’t make it weird if it doesn’t have to be weird, man! Plus, how am I supposed to help you if I don’t know the problem?”

Keith ran a hand down his face, groaning the whole while. “You know what? I can figure it out myself. Why am I even asking you? You’re an Alpha.”

“Yeah, but I bet I know more about heats than you do.”

“Sure you do.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Lance scooted closer, causing part of the nest to topple inwards. “Try me. If I can’t help you, then I won’t give you any more advice about heats. Promise.”

Keith waved him away from the edge of the nest, fixing up the part that’d fallen over. Lance settled back into the desk chair, ready to play doctor to Keith’s ailments.

His face was redder than a tomato when he spoke, and he refused to meet Lance’s eyes. “Even after I… come… it’s not enough.”

“You’re still horny after you come?” Lance clarified.

“Um, yeah.”

“Okay, well, what are you doing? This,” he made the same jerking-off motion he’d made earlier, “or this?” He made the gesture for penetration, raising an eyebrow at Keith.

“Oh my _God_ , Lance. The first one.”

Lance nodded sagely. “See, now there’s your problem. Omegas need penetration during heats.”

“No. No way in hell.”

“They tell that to you in all the sex-ed classes, Keith. You can’t seriously tell me you’ve never been subjected to a sex-ed class.”

Keith picked at a loose thread on a nearby pair of pants. “Would you believe me if I told you I skipped most of my classes?”

Lance facepalmed. “Dude.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever have a heat! I thought if I was going to, I would’ve when I lived with Shiro! But I didn’t. So I didn’t think it’d ever happen. I didn’t bother going to any of those classes because I didn’t think I’d ever need to know that kind of thing.”

Lance wanted to hug the poor guy. “Aw, Keith…”

“Don’t… do that.” Keith scowled at Lance.

“I can’t help it!” Lance cried. “I feel so bad for you!”

“Then stop feeling bad for me!”

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave you to it then. Let you get your relief from your heat.” He stood, pushing the desk chair back to where it belonged.

“Get my relief? You mean…?”

Lance shot him a wink from the doorway, then repeated his hand-motion for penetration. “I think you know what I mean.” Then he closed the door before Keith had a chance to process what he’d implied.

This was fun. It’d been years since Lance had anybody to tease or poke fun at. Anyone to make sexual innuendoes towards. Or in Keith’s case, they weren’t really innuendoes so much as blatant sexual references. These were extenuating circumstances, though.

Now that Keith was having fun with himself, Lance could feel free to go take care of his own issues. That mostly just meant jerking off while overthinking.

If Keith wasn’t aware of “normal”, meaning societal, mating practices, did that mean he wasn’t aware of what asking for Lance’s scented clothes meant? Or that he wasn’t aware of what it truly meant to ask Lance to sleep in his nest? He might’ve known what asking Lance to scent him meant, but what if he didn’t?

It was endearing but concerning. Because maybe Lance was interpreting this all wrong. Keith could just be following his instincts and Lance could be taking it all the wrong way. It made more sense, actually. Who’d want a damaged Alpha like him, anyway? He couldn’t provide for anyone, not with an injury like his. Keith was self-sufficient in every other aspect of his life, as far as Lance could tell. He doubted this was any different. Sure, he might’ve needed some help to get it figured out. But now that he’d been educated, he’d be fine.

Lance would have to push his emotions as far down as they could go. Would have to tell himself not to take anything that Keith did as a sign because it wasn’t a sign. Keith didn’t want him like that and he couldn’t go letting himself want Keith in that way either. Nip it in the bud before it got a chance to bloom.

After Keith’s heat, things would go back to normal and they could pretend none of this ever happened. That’d be best.

But right now, with his pants around his knees and his hand on his cock, all Lance could think about was Keith. He couldn’t push away the thoughts of Keith. The smell of him. How he’d looked so gentle while sleeping, his warm body pressed against Lance’s. He couldn’t stop thinking about the cute pout on his face, or the way he blushed when he was embarrassed. The way he got mad when Lance teased him too much. The growl in his voice when he got fed up with Lance’s antics.

Everything about Keith was intoxicating. Lance was lost to it. Knew it was wrong to be fantasizing about the other. But he couldn’t help it. The whole house smelled of Omega heat. His own wrists still bore a hint of Keith’s scent. And Lance had been hard since yesterday night. He tried to pretend this was all a biological response. Even if that wasn’t the truth.

He wrapped a hand around his knot, bucking up into his own touch.

 _Imagine if that was Keith on your knot,_ his traitorous brain whispered. _Whimpering as he rode you, finally getting that relief he wants oh so bad._

That was it for him, knot swelling full as he came over his own hand. He’d never felt so good yet so bad at the same time. Even if his dick was feeling good, his heart was not. Because now he knew that Keith likely didn’t understand what he was doing. It meant nothing to Keith and it had to mean nothing to Lance now, too.

Keith’s heat wasn’t an excuse for Lance to laze about. He had things to do, needed to take care of the house and the garden. He couldn’t spend all day fantasizing about the Omega.

He went out to harvest his fruits and vegetables. Had to collect them before the bugs and animals got a chance to get at them. He also needed to prune some of the plants. Yank out the weeds, thank the spiders for eating lots of bugs, and pull water from the well.

Pulling water was his least favorite activity with chopping wood coming as a close second. Pulling from the well meant bending over to grab the rope, which was unbelievably difficult given his burned back. But it needed to be done, so he steeled himself to do it.

The bucket pulled up only about three gallons at a time. Lance used buckets to transfer water from the well back to the house. This was one of the best things about the cabin. He was able to collect rainwater to water his garden, but rainwater wasn’t always safe for human use. The well water was much better, though he still boiled it just in case.

Once he’d filled up both of his five-gallon buckets, he lugged them back to the house.

Now he had to figure out what was for lunch. They’d been eating nothing but soup lately, and Lance was sick of it. He wanted a stir-fry, so he went about gathering the ingredients.

There was nothing better than the smell of freshly cooked food. He would’ve liked it better had it had salt and seasonings, but this was okay.

However, the smell didn’t entice Keith out of his room. Lance reasoned that the dude was probably getting his rocks off, too preoccupied to eat. So he left a serving out on the counter in a lidded container. He could help himself when he was ready. For now, Lance needed to find ways to occupy his time. Otherwise, he was going to go insane trapped inside with Keith.

Speaking of which, he needed to get some air into the house. He opened the windows in the house, hoping that that would help circulate some of the stagnant air.

Before he had the chance to decide what to do, though, Keith came out of his room.

“Lunch is on the counter,” Lance said, pointing to it. “Feeling any better?”

Keith washed his hands. Then he slid over to the offered meal, grabbing a fork and digging in. “No.”

Lance pulled up a stool and joined him at the counter. “No? My suggestion didn’t work?”

Keith stabbed rather aggressively at the stir-fry. “It’s not that it didn’t work… it’s just…”

“Just what?” Lance prompted.

Keith shoved the food into his mouth, mumbling something around the mouthful.

“What? Can’t understand you.”

Keith shot him a glare, finishing his bite and stabbing for another. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Ah, I see.” Lance watched him shovel more food in his mouth. “You’ve never jerked off like that before?”

Keith wouldn’t look at him, instead toying with his food. “No. Never had anything… inside me.”

That made Lance’s eyebrows raise. “You’re a virgin?”

“Not exactly… But when it comes to that kind of stuff, I’ve never… you know.”

“But you’re an Omega. Isn’t that what Omegas usually want? To be fucked?”

Keith blinked at him with his yellow, Galran eyes. “I think we’ve established that I’m not your typical Omega.”

Lance nodded sagely, pretending he’d already thought about that fact. “So you’re not a virgin, but you’ve never had any sort of penetration.”

“I’d rather be on top,” Keith grumbled out.

Lance wouldn’t admit how fast that statement went to his dick. “Oh. I see. Uh, well, do you need help?”

Keith raised an eyebrow at him. “Help?”

Lance was playing with fire here, but the temptation was too good to resist. “I could, you know.” He made the same lewd gesture with his hands. “Help you figure it out? Or not, no hard feelings.”

 _Fuck._ This was stepping over a line. Keith might not have known the societal implications behind scenting or having someone in your nest, but this was too far. This was Lance explicitly offering something sexual. And they’d only known one another for a short time, with no indication that Keith felt any sort of way towards Lance. Aside from the past two days of Keith’s heat, they’d been acting like amiable acquaintances at most.

Hopefully, Keith didn’t take his offer in a weird way. Lance didn’t have ulterior motives, just genuinely wanted to help the poor guy out. Sure, he was attracted to Keith, but he wouldn’t do anything if Keith didn’t agree to it. He wasn’t a scumbag, after all. Not that he’d need to worry about any of that. He braced himself for Keith’s harsh rejection. A disgusted “what the fuck” or “ew, no”. 

But he wasn’t prepared for Keith saying, “Okay.”

“Really?”

“It’ll help, right?”

Lance tried to shake off his shock. “Uh, yeah. For a little bit, at least. Should help you calm down if you catch my drift.”

“Then let’s do it. I’m sick of feeling like this. I feel useless laying in bed all day.”

Lance laughed. “You’re in heat. It’s normal to be in bed all day.”

Keith finished up the last of his food, going over to wash the dish and lay it out to dry. Then he turned to Lance. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Now?”

“Yes? When else?”

“Oh.” Lance hopped down off his stool, following Keith back to his bedroom.

Keith started stripping the second he stepped into his room. This was moving way too fast for Lance. He reached out a hand, stopping Keith with his shirt half-off.

“Dude, hold on. Are you sure about this?”

Keith growled, pulling his shirt off and tossing it to the ground. “I’m going to go crazy if I have to stay like this for the next… God knows how long. How long do heats last?”

“Um, a week, usually? But it differs for each Omega.”

Keith had started working to pull his pants off and _holy shit_ Lance’s brain was short-circuiting. “I’m not going to be incapacitated for a week just because of my heat.”

“And you’re SURE you want me to help you?!”

Keith, now standing in nothing but his boxers, looked down at Lance. “Don’t make it weird if it doesn’t have to be weird.” He climbed into the nest, looking to Lance impatiently.

Lance made an “X” motion with his arms. “No. No, no, no. You can’t throw my words back at me like this. That’s so unfair.”

“Please,” Keith begged. “I feel like I’m on fire.”

Lance lowered his arms. “That bad, huh?”

“I wouldn’t accept your help if I didn’t need it.”

“At least you’re self-aware.” Lance approached Keith cautiously, still hesitant. He’d been the one to propose the idea, but he hadn’t really put any thought into it. Now that he was here, faced with Keith laying prone and ready, he was starting to question himself. 

“How do you want me?” Keith asked. And if THAT wasn’t a loaded question.

“Spread your legs for me?”

Keith did as instructed and Lance nearly combusted. He climbed onto the bed, situating himself between Keith’s legs.

“Just, um, tell me if you want me to stop,” Lance said.

“Got it.”

“Boxers off?”

Keith wasted no time in shimmying out of his underwear, kicking it off to the side. Then Lance slid closer, placing a tentative hand on either thigh. As hot as this was, seeing Keith bare and wanting, the whole situation felt almost clinical. More awkward and clumsy than anything.

“I’m going to touch you now,” Lance said.

“You don’t need to narrate everything.”

Lance shot him a dirty look, but he didn’t say anything. He reached down, wrapping a hand around Keith’s cock. He was large, for an Omega. Keith bucked up into his touch. He gave him a few preliminary strokes before moving downwards. His fingers brushed Keith’s hole. He was already leaking slick. That made Lance’s job easier. He circled a finger over Keith’s hole, pressing lightly.

“Fuck,” Keith cursed softly, turning his face to press into the sheets.

“This feel okay?”

Keith nodded, so Lance pushed forward with a single finger. It was easy with how wet Keith was. Lance was meeting no resistance.

“You get this far on your own?” Lance inquired.

“Yeah,” Keith breathed shakily. “But it didn’t feel like this.”

“Feel good?”

Keith just moaned in reply.

That gave Lance a bit of a confidence boost. He slid a second digit in alongside the first. Then he crooked his fingers, trying to find that sweet spot.

Keith’s hips suddenly twitched. He whined, this whine sounding needier than anything.

Lance repeated the motion. “Right there?”

“Yes. _Fuck_.”

He kept at it for a few more strokes, getting Keith to writhe in the sheets, strangled moans leaving his lips. Soon he was panting, hands fisted tightly in the pillow under his head. Lance was sinking into him up to his knuckles, starting a steady pumping motion in and out. He was so wet, it was starting to leak out over Lance’s hand. Lance had to suppress the urge to lift his hand to his mouth.

“More,” Keith groaned.

“You sure?”

“P- Please.”

Eager to please, Lance slid a third finger in alongside the first two. He crooked all three fingers up into that sweet spot and Keith was done for.

He came with a long Omega whine, hips bucking up into the air, knuckles white, and fangs dug into his bottom lip. His eyes were squeezed shut as he painted his own stomach white with cum.

Lance was transfixed by the sight, but he didn’t let it distract from his duty. He worked that spot over until Keith was pushing him away with overstimulation.

“How was it?” Lance couldn’t help but ask.

Keith honest-to-God giggled. “Still feels good.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded, smile wide on his face.

“Your eyes are back to normal,” Lance noted. He reached his clean hand out to grip at Keith’s chin, opening his mouth to inspect. “Your teeth, too.”

“Good. It’s nap time now.”

“What?!” Lance asked. But Keith was already snuggling into the nest, ignoring Lance’s pleas for him to please re-dress before sleeping.

He’d end up fingering Keith to sleep that night, too. It was day three of Keith’s rut and Lance was starting to get the hang of things.


	5. Chapter 5

The stench of heat was finally subsiding. Keith’s heat had been appeased by his frequent Alpha-given orgasms. Even if it was only Lance’s fingers, Keith’s body seemed to deem that as good enough. Recognized Lance as a mate and been satisfied.

Keith had woken up horny and demanded Lance’s fingers inside him on the fourth day of his heat. He’d made Lance sleep in his nest again last night. Lance still didn’t know if he understood the meaning behind that, but he didn’t care at this point. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. Nobody was going to judge him if he slept in an Omega’s nest and shoved his fingers up said Omega’s ass.

But he still didn’t know how to feel about it all. Keith seemed so nonchalant about it that he had to wonder if the guy was aromantic or asexual. No way the average Omega could be so calm about having this type of sexual relationship with an Alpha. Especially one they’d known for hardly any time. As they’d established multiple times, however, Keith wasn’t your average Omega.

Keith seemed more lively now. He left the house, going about his usual daily activities and only returning to pounce on Lance and demand stimulation. Lance, on the other hand, felt like he was the least productive he’d ever been. Every moment was filled with either helping Keith through a wave of heat or thinking about Keith in less-than-desirable ways. Well, they were desirable ways, but Lance _shouldn’t_ have been thinking in those ways. It didn’t stop his traitorous brain from doing so, though. He felt like there was more blood in his dick than in his brain at this point.

Day four passed this way, with Lance filled with mixed emotions and Keith happy to be getting back to his usual routine.

Lance was halfway through burning their lunch on day five of Keith’s heat when Keith came bounding in. He had a stack of wood in his arms. He brought it over to the woodstove and waited for Lance to open the compartment. Then he tossed in a chunk at a time until the flame was back to full power and the water was boiling. Lance liked to multitask with the stove, never one to waste resources. He cooked on one burner while boiling drinking/cooking/bathing water on the other three.

“Smells good,” Keith commented.

“Yeah?” Lance asked, happy to be praised for his work.

“Yeah,” Keith replied, grabbing at Lance’s free hand and bringing it up to his neck. He rubbed Lance’s wrist gland over his neck, and that’s when Lance realized he hadn’t been talking about the food to begin with. He almost ended up spilling their lunch.

Keith, oblivious as he always seemed to be, left once he was satisfied with what he’d gotten. He left Lance to finish cooking, struggling with the urge to bring his wrist up to his nose.

Lance was going to die. He was going to die and it was going to be amazing. He was going to die drowned in Omega scent with slick running down his hand and forearm. With his dick rock-hard and untouched. He would die and Keith would have to bury him in the backyard. He could see it now, Keith throwing him into a hole and covering it with dirt. He hoped he’d at least give him a proper burial.

He still wasn’t sure how Keith felt about their situation. He wanted to ask, but how would he even go about that? _Hey, so what are we now, Keith? Do you feel as attracted to me as I feel to you? Is this no-strings-attached or are we, like, an item now?_

None of that would work. Lance might’ve been a social butterfly at one point, but now that it was him and Keith by themselves, he felt warier of what he said. It was easier when there were more people around. If one person didn’t like him, he’d just move on to the next. But now Keith was his only option. Not that he minded too much. Keith was good company, good people. They got along fairly well, even more so lately what with Keith’s current predicament.

But Lance didn’t want to test the boundaries of their newfound… friendship? If it could even be called that. Keith was so tight-lipped about his emotions and thoughts, Lance just couldn’t get a read on him. It was frustrating. Here he was with the world’s worst poker face, yet Keith was like a clam, closed up to the outside world. If Lance wanted to know anything about what was going on in that guy’s head, he’d have to do some serious prying. And that was exactly what he was trying to avoid. It wouldn’t do for him to go sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

His nose especially didn’t belong anywhere near Keith’s scent glands. He couldn’t help thinking about it every second, though. It was intoxicating, that scent. Keith in general was intoxicating. Or maybe Lance was finally losing it. Having the majority of his blood in his dick 24/7 was bound to make him at least a little crazy.

Lance served up lunch and called Keith back into the house. They ate in silence for a bit with Keith wolfing down his food so fast, Lance worried he’d burn his tongue. At least he was back to his normal self. Maybe a touch more candid than before. Oh, who was Lance kidding? The dude had begged to be fingerfucked without so much as a shred of shame on his face. He was lost in the sauce of heat.

“So… how are you feeling?” Lance asked. He took a tentative bite of food, wincing at the heat of it. How Keith scarfed it down, he had no idea.

“Better,” Keith said, “But I still feel sluggish. Can’t wait for this week to be over.”

“That’s good,” Lance mumbled around his food. He tried not to let his confused jumble of emotions spill out. There’d be no point in having Keith catch on to his emotional stew. As much as he wanted to ask Keith what their relationship would be after this week, he knew he shouldn't. Best not to make the situation awkward when it didn’t have to be.

Keith talked while Lance ate. Mostly about new traps he was planning to set and how he’d always wanted to try fishing. Lance wasn’t a huge fan of fish, but Keith said he and Shiro had grown up eating it. He’d opened up more about his life lately. Probably had to do with being put in a vulnerable situation. It felt like he trusted Lance more, though, so that was nice. If this ended up being the only difference in their relationship brought about by Keith’s heat, Lance couldn’t say he’d mind.

Finally finished with his meal, Lance gathered up their dishes to wash. Keith helped by tidying up the kitchen, bringing over the cookware for Lance to clean.

Lance was rinsing the last knife when Keith finished his tasks. Keith stationed himself near the sink, just waiting. Lance laid the knife to dry and dried his hands off.

“Need something?” Lance asked. He rested a hand on his hip.

“Can you…”

Lance cocked an eyebrow. “Again?”

“Please.”

Well, he couldn’t say no to that. He gestured for Keith to lead the way, which he did so happily. Lance closed the door to Keith’s bedroom behind them.

Keith flopped onto his bed, rolling onto his back and eyeing Lance as he joined him in the nest. He wasted no time in stripping his clothes off, shimmying out of them, and packing them carelessly into the side of the nest. He spread his legs and Lance situated himself between them.

“Eager, aren’t you?” Lance teased.

“Stop,” Keith grit out. His legs started to close, but Lance placed a hand on each, keeping them open with a laugh at Keith.

“I’m glad you’re getting back to your usual self. It’s weird when you’re all soft and pliant.”

Keith tried to kick at him, but Lance still had a hand on his leg. He was starting to blush now, though Lance wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment or another wave of heat. “Can we not talk about that?”

“See? You’ve got your sense of shame back. Finally. It’s like you didn’t have a filter for a while there.”

“I’m desperate, okay? Now are you going to help me or should I do it myself?”

Lance pressed a finger to Keith’s entrance, already leaking slick. “You wouldn’t know what to do without me.”

Keith probably would have tried to kick him again if he hadn’t taken that chance to slip a digit inside. Instead, he threw back his head with a strangled sound, clenching up around Lance. He was so sensitive. It made Lance wonder if he was like this outside of his heats too. He tried to purge the thought from his head. But the more he tried not to think about it, the more he thought about it.

Keith was still loose from this morning, taking a second, and even a third, finger easily. He was already panting and Lance had done little more than penetrate him. He was flushed red now, too. Lance had never met someone who blushed so easily and frequently. Though he supposed it had more to do with Keith’s heat than anything. After all, his body was all worked up. It made sense for his blood to be pumping a little more than usual.

Lance crooked his fingers inside Keith. He was getting better at this after the last couple of times. Keith seemed to think so, too, if the noises he was making were any indication. He was grinding down on Lance now, hips bucking up.

“More,” Keith demanded.

Lance blinked, staring down at his three fingers stretching Keith open. “More?”

Keith fisted his hands in the sheets, bracing his feet against the bed to try and get better leverage. “More.”

“I don’t know if I can… Are you sure?”

Keith let out what could only be described as a growl. Then, seemingly annoyed with Lance’s lack of obedience, he reached down and slid his own finger in alongside Lance’s.

And _holy shit, holy shit, holy shit_. That was _hot_. He was stretched so much now, clenching down hard. Keith wrapped his free hand around his cock, not even getting one stroke in before he came.

It shocked Lance, who had had to put in some work for Keith’s last few orgasms. But now he seemed content to be stuffed full with a hand on himself. Lance had barely done anything. He felt kind of useless at that moment. Keith totally could’ve taken care of things himself if all he wanted was to be stuffed full of fingers. It was a little jarring, though, seeing as the reason he’d asked Lance for help to begin with was because he couldn’t get off just stuffing himself with his fingers. It was almost like now that he’d been able to get off a couple of times, he was starting to get...

“Knot hungry,” Lance breathed.

Keith blinked away the last vestiges of pleasure. “What?”

“You’re desperate for a knot, aren’t you?” Lance asked. He drove his fingers in to the knuckles. Keith gasped, leg kicking out at the feeling. “Look at you. Coming just from being so full. You want a knot filling you, don’t you?”

“No! You can’t- I don’t want that,” he protested.

“You don’t? Then why are you trying to shove another finger into your greedy Omega cunt?”

Keith pulled his hand away like he’d been burned. “Don’t _call_ it that!”

Lance was quick to slip his pinky into Keith, stretching him. “You seem to like it, though. You’re soaking wet.”

“Shut up!”

Lance obliged, though it was mainly because he was focusing on what he was doing, and not because Keith had told him to. Keith was still hard, he’d come in less than five minutes. Lance wanted to drag another orgasm out of him. Satisfy him. Well, to be honest, he just wanted to hear Keith moan again. Sue him, the guy was hot and Lance hadn’t gotten his rocks off since, like, two days before. And he’d been breathing in all these pheromones during that time. It was starting to drive him a little crazy. He was allowed to be selfish, wasn’t he?

Maybe Lance was getting too comfortable with this. He’d been worried about Keith being too open with this situation, but maybe he should’ve been worried about himself. Keith was an Omega. They were allowed to need help during times like this. It was an outdated way of thinking, and most people, including Lance, didn’t believe that sort of thing anymore. But it did have a basis in biology. That’s why Omegas put out pheromones during their heats, but Alphas didn’t during their ruts. Omega heats could be subdued after receiving help from an Alpha or other suitable mate. Alpha ruts just sort of dragged on, not changing based on how many times they copulated.

Keith was following his instincts, that's it. The thought sobered Lance. Reminded him that Keith was asking for help with his heat and nothing more. It made it easier to remove himself from the situation. He would help Keith through this and then everything could go back to how it’d been. Perfect.

But that was easier said than done because Lance was already emotionally attached to Keith. He hadn’t meant to get so attached, but he couldn’t help it. Keith was the first person he’d seen in years and he’d always been a bit of a hopeless romantic.

“I’m gonna- Again, I'm gonna again!” Keith turned his head, panting hard against his pillow.

“Yeah?” Lance pressed in again with his fingers.

Keith nodded, eyes rolling back. He bit into his bottom lip so hard his fangs drew blood. His back arched and he moaned out, “Alpha!”

Lance damn near came at that. He stroked Keith through his climax, his free hand going to his own groin. He couldn’t help it, burning need coursing through him as he watched Keith. Because _fuck_ , he was so damn attractive. And Lance had needs, okay?

Unable to resist the temptation, Lance leaned down and rubbed the scent gland on his neck over the one on Keith’s thigh. He smelled a little like Lance already, which scratched some instinctual itch within Lance. But he wanted his scent fully on Keith. It was some Alpha need for the Omega to reek of him, a need he couldn’t explain. Not that it’d matter since they were the only ones around who’d be smelling one another. It was the thought that counted.

Keith purred under him, running a hand through Lance’s hair. His touch was soft in a way that felt almost too intimate for Lance, who pulled away. For some reason, that one touch made him rethink everything about their relationship. He’d been overthinking it anyway, so this wasn’t much of a difference.

Keith was splayed out like a contented cat, yellow eyes, fangs, and all. “Why’d you stop? Smells so good.”

Lance choked out a nervous laugh, changing the subject. “You feeling better?”

Keith stretched, his legs still caging Lance in. “I feel great.”

“You gonna take a nap?”

“Mmm,” Keith hummed his answer, eyes already fluttering closed.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” Lance excused himself from the nest, moving to get off the bed. He was so worked up. Had been worked up for the last two days, which probably wasn’t healthy. Something about long-lasting erections being _not good_. He probably shouldn’t have scented Keith either, because now he just had Keith’s scent taunting him from his own skin. He was a fool, he’d admit it. And he’d come to the conclusion that he did, in fact, have a bit of a crush on Keith, so that was a fun thing to add to the mix.

Suddenly, Keith was sitting up, putting out a hand to stop him. “Wait.”

Lance paused, one leg slung over the side of the nest.

“Let me help you, too.” Keith shot a glance down to where Lance was still not-so-subtly hard in his pants.

Lance forgot how to breathe.

Keith looked hesitant at Lance’s lack of response. He pulled his hand back from where it’d been resting on Lance’s shoulder. “It’d only be fair. Unless you don’t want me to.”

Great. Now he was stuck in a dilemma. He could accept Keith’s proposal, knowing that it would probably just throw his budding crush on Keith into full bloom. Or he could decline and regret his decision for the rest of time. The second option seemed like the safer one.

“You don’t have to,” Lance said. “I’m just doing what any good Alpha is supposed to do.”

Keith let out an Omega whine, seeming to surprise even himself with the sound.

“You okay?”

Keith nodded, pulling away from Lance. He looked almost confused at his own actions.

“Okay… I’m gonna leave now,” Lance announced. He clambered off the bed, walking out before Keith could pull anything else. 

The dude must’ve been trying to kill Lance. Really, what was with that offer? There was no way Keith had been serious. Right? Maybe he’d been offering out of common courtesy, but he probably didn’t mean it. Lance had to tell himself that or he’d regret ever leaving that room.

After a guilt-filled jerk off session spent fantasizing about Keith, Lance returned to his usual daily chores.

_This is a temporary situation,_ Lance reminded himself. Keith’s heat was going to be over within the next few days, and then everything would go back to normal. His crush on Keith had to be because of Keith’s heat. That was the only logical explanation! After all, he hadn’t had a crush on Keith before he was in heat. So there was no reason for him to suddenly have developed feelings. The only reason he felt like this was because he’d been isolated for years. Yep. That was the reason.

Lance nearly chopped his own finger off, he was so absorbed in his thoughts. Maybe if he told himself that he didn’t like Keith enough times, he’d believe it. Brainwash himself or something.

He zoned back in to cutting the veggies. If he didn’t want to end up with an accidental amputation, he needed to pay attention to what he was doing.

Keith left the house in the late afternoon. He didn’t say anything to Lance, just walked past him and out the back door. Lance watched from where he was sitting in the living room. Keith didn’t even spare him a glance. So with a huff of indignation, Lance went back to re-reading his book. He’d probably read the thing a hundred times by now, but anything was better than sitting around and moping.

Dinner was another near-silent affair. Lance had never realized how quiet Keith was before this point. Lance was usually the talkative one. But he didn’t feel like talking right now, not when his brain was a jumble of thoughts and feelings. And Keith had seemingly returned to his usual self, quiet as a mouse. Lance should’ve been used to eating in silence. After all, he’d done it for a long time before Keith showed up. However, the awkward tension of that night’s meal made him want to slam his head through the drywall.

Lance laid in bed that night, alone with his thoughts again. Which sucked, to be frank. He would’ve liked to continue reading, but it was too dim to do that without risking a headache. He was tempted to stick his head out the window again. Keith’s scent was still permeating the house. There were too many bugs outside to do that, though.

If you asked Lance what he was thinking about, he probably couldn’t have told you. For once, it wasn’t about Keith. He was feeling nostalgic for some reason. He was thinking about his past in a vague sort of way. What would he have thought of his life if he had known this was what he’d become?

Thankfully, he didn’t have to slip into a full existential crisis because Keith was knocking at his door again.

“Yeah?” he called out.

Keith opened the door slowly, poking his head in. “Are you asleep?”

“Well, clearly not. Did you need something?”

Keith’s eyes shone in the dark. “Can you help me? Please?”

“Again?”

“I’m sorry. I tried to myself and I just… couldn’t.”

Lance pushed himself into a sitting position. “Couldn’t?” he inquired.

“I couldn’t… you know. It’s not the same when I do it myself.”

Lance got up from the bed, shaking his head at Keith. “I’ve created a monster, haven’t I?”

“What?”

Lance waved him off. “Nevermind. Let’s just go.”

Keith led the way. This was starting to become a routine, with Keith coming to fetch Lance and take him back to his room. Lance wasn’t sure it was something to complain about. He wasn’t sure it was something he should be getting used to either.

There was definitely a routine being built here. Keith stripped his clothes and dove into the nest, waiting for Lance to join him. Lance had to remind himself that this was something he really shouldn’t be getting used to.

Seeing Keith all spread out like this, eyes shining yellow in the dark, wasn’t helping at all with Lance’s newfound feelings. It wasn’t helping him _suppress_ said newfound feelings, that is.

He made himself comfortable between Keith’s legs in a now-familiar position. It still felt as clinical as the first time, though he was getting better at playing the role of “doctor”.

Lance skipped right to what he was there for, no preamble or teasing. Keith was already soaking and stretched from where he’d played with himself. That made Lance’s job easier. He could get this over with and then go die slowly in his own bed. Solid game plan.

Keith whined long and low as soon as Lance entered him.

“Feeling good?” Lance asked, more for confirmation than to boost his own ego.

“So much better than when I do it myself,” Keith groaned.

_Okay, wow, that was going in the spank bank for sure._

Lance wasted no time in building Keith up to that peak he’d been unable to reach. He was four fingers deep, wrist cramping, sheets soaked. Keith looked ready to ascend, his knuckles white where he was gripping the sheets.

“You gonna come?”

Keith just nodded, moan slipping from his lips. He was so pretty like this and it filled Lance with an almost possessive urge. He wanted to scent Keith, mark him, make sure nobody else got to see this. Not like it’d matter given their situation. Humans were never known to be perfectly rational creatures, though.

Keith usually would have come by now. He looked three seconds away from doing so, but he just… wouldn’t? Lance pressed upwards, trying to find that sweet spot to set him off. Keith jerked under his ministrations and let out a pained whine.

Alright, so maybe Lance had gotten ahead of himself in assuming he was getting better at this. He must’ve been doing something wrong because now Keith just looked miserable instead of euphoric.

“I can’t-” he whimpered.

Lance slowed his hand. “You can’t what?”

“I can’t- I don’t- It’s not enough.”

Lance blanched. “It’s not enough?! Dude, if I go any further, I’m going to end up fisting you.”

Keith kicked out his leg. “That’s not what I mean. I-” He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening like he’d seen a ghost.

“Keith?”

Then, before Lance had a chance to react, Keith was pulling him down by his shirt.

Lance fumbled, thrown off balance as he toppled atop Keith, their mouths smashing together and _holy hell balls_ he was _kissing Keith_. He tried to pull away, but Keith’s grip in his shirt was unrelenting.

Then, in a turn of events that could only be called theatrical, Keith came. He clenched down on Lance’s fingers, moaned into Lance’s mouth, and then bit Lance’s lip with his tiny little fangs.

Lance broke. He was ashamed to admit it. He wished he was a stronger man, not so weak for the Omega under him. But alas, that was not the case. Because as soon as Keith bit down with those fangs of his, Lance creamed his pants. Not his proudest moment…

Keith panted against his lips, not so much kissing him as he was sharing his air. He giggled that lilting little laugh that Lance had come to associate with a blissed-out Keith. “ _That’s_ what was missing.”

Lance pulled away from Keith, turning to look away from him as he took a steadying breath. There was no doubt about it now; Lance was in way over his head.

**Author's Note:**

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